Blum?s Landing has its first guests: a military couple

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

Terry and Jan Blumberg of Canton continue working on Blum?s Landing in Bearinger Township, in loving memory of their son Sgt. Trevor A. Blumberg, who was killed Sept. 14 in Fallujah, Iraq.

Blum?s Landing will be a place for military personnel who have endured physical and/or mental wounds from serving the country. The Landing will be a bed and breakfast for military personnel and their families to relax, to recoup, and to re-energize from the stress of their current rehab and duties. While the project is still another year from completion, the couple had their first guests in late July ? a military couple. He had served 15 months in Iraq, while she was there for a year.

?YOU COULD just see the stress come out of them,? said Terry Blumberg. ?There was no pressure on them to do anything. They just had a good time. To be honest, they had to sleep on air mattresses. The floors are not done, the fireplace is not even half done. They really liked it, although it was a little hot that week.

While here, they visited various sites including Ocqueoc Falls. ?They relaxed and got a chance to see the northern country,? said Blumberg. ?They were very impressed. They wrote us a beautiful letter telling us how much they appreciated it.?

<p> The next soldier, ?was a real good friend of our son,? will be traveling to the shores of Orchard Lake in the coming weeks. He just got back from Afghanistan.

Trevor asked his parents to do two things if he should not return from his mission in Iraq. The first was to care for his dog, Scrappy, who has been living like a rock star.

THE SECOND was to take care of his guys, which has proven more difficult. They found the 12 acres in Ocqueoc Township in 2005 and have been working on it ever since. Jan and Terry have invested more than $300,000 and countless hours of labor to reach this point.

Trevor loved the outdoors, especially the woods, lakes, and rivers of northern Michigan. He often spoke about bringing his fellow soldiers to Michigan for fishing and camping trips. This love for nature and his dedication and loyalty to his friends inspired the idea for Blum’s Landing.